Moms of boys: Do you let your DS play with swords, etc.?

[arivecchi]

Do you let your DS play with swords, Star Wars figurines, soldier figurines, etc.? In a perfect world, there would be no weapons and I am personally anti-gun ownership, but I do let DS1 play knights and he does have soldier figurines. DS1 has a friend who is not allowed to play with any such toys and I was just wondering what would that accomplish. I mean, DS will be exposed to guns/swords, etc. whether I like it or not and I'd rather control the introduction. We make it very clear that we just pretend to play with them. What are your thoughts on the issue?

[hellokitty]

Yes. Once they are exposed to other boys who have been exposed to this kind of stuff (preschool), it's inevitable. My biggest rule is not pointing guns/swords at someone, and of course if they hit anyone with one, I take it away. We had a sword that came with a knight costume and DS2 was hitting dS1 with it, and it basically just put it in the basement so they can't play with it. My kids don't have toy guns, BUT they will make guns with their legos, etc. I can't do anything about that.

[tnrnchick74]

I do let him play with those types of thing, as long as he's not trying to "poke" anyone (especially the dog).

I'm pro-gun ownership and when he's old enough, I won't have a problem with a toy gun that is not realistic looking.

I've found that if you try to "limit" those things, they "create" them anyways. I truly think its just a boy thing. I won't push it on him, but I won't limit them either as long as he's playing nice with them.

As far as gun play - I will be teaching DS the 4 gun rules as well...he follows them, then he gets to play. He breaks one, the toy gun goes away.

[jse107]

Yes. Once they are exposed to other boys who have been exposed to this kind of stuff (preschool), it's inevitable. My biggest rule is not pointing guns/swords at someone, and of course if they hit anyone with one, I take it away. We had a sword that came with a knight costume and DS2 was hitting dS1 with it, and it basically just put it in the basement so they can't play with it. My kids don't have toy guns, BUT they will make guns with their legos, etc. I can't do anything about that.

Yes to all this. I also try to talk about the difference between pretend and real--so DS really knows that play is play and we would never play with guns IRL. I also closely monitor the language of the play--sometimes it gets a bit too graphic for my liking when he talks about killing the "bad guys."

Boys do seem to create weapons out of just about anything! My DS is a pretty gentle kid overall and very compassionate, but he enjoys fighting against "bad guys" when he can!

[mommylamb]

So far, DS hasn't shown any interest in either guns or swords and we don't have any in the house. They don't have them at daycare and none of the kids he is friends with outside of daycare seem to have those sorts of toys. That said, everyone has to draw there line somewhere (or not, I guess), and I'm not going to say no to figurines that have swords or star wars stuff.

As for guns, I don't want toy guns in the house, especially anything that looks realistic. We are not a gun owning family (though I don't begrudge those who do own guns so long as significant safety precautions are taken). But, I think toy guns can be desensitizing to kids and I'd rather discourage violent play if possible. I won't object to him playing with toy guns at other people's houses, and there's nothing to stop him from pretending other items are guns, but I'm not going to encourage it. Then again, DH, who is also opposed to gun ownership for us, always tells me that he played with toy guns growing up and it didn't harm him. So, maybe it's something I'll give in on eventually. Who knows.

But soldier figurines, toy swords, I'm not going to get upset about those. There are too many other things to be concerned with as a parent to waste my time worrying about that, IMO. I see them as different from toy guns because they're less real. Then again, I don't think I'd let him have a toy machete either.

[elliput]

Actually, both my kids play with swords. I did put up the play pirate pistol, though, as it was being used as a club.

[o_mom]

I don't go out of my way to get weapons for them, but I don't have any kind of outright ban. Mine aren't really into gun/sword play anyway, even with all the preschool and now public school influences. Occasionally they will use duplos or other stuff as guns, but it is always when we have other kids over, never on their own. They do make lego ships with guns, but not usually any handheld weapons, even the ones that came with the police sets.

[egoldber]

And FWIW, I've had to confiscate princess wands because they were being used as weapons. :ROTFLMAO:

[o_mom]

Then again, I don't think I'd let him have a toy machete either.

I have debated over and over on the toy chainsaw that DS2 wants. I just see it ending badly if we got it for him.

[geochick]

Yes. When my ds started a new school (he's 6 now), all the boys in his class loved knights and Star Wars. They played it constantly at recess. He asked for some toys for his birthday and Christmas. I bought them.

My philosophy is this. Boys will be boys. He's going to be around it and exposed at school, or at friends' houses. With my kids, if I say, "ABSOLUTELY NO _____!" they start obsessing. With toys at home, we can play like knights did in the castles. My ds can have light saber "fights" with his daddy. We can all practice our shot with our Nerf Bow and Arrow. I can control the situation and teach him limits and appropriate play (we don't shoot at people, or we lose the toy for 1 week, etc.). It removes the obsession because he can't have it. With many things in our house (candy included), I use moderation in a controlled environment. That way when he's at someone else's house and the weapons (toy) and candy and ____ come out, he'll know how to behave. He won't flip out over candy because he's never allowed to have it. He won't shoot someone in the eye with a Nerf arrow because he knows the rules of safe and reasonable play.

Moderation.

Have I signed him up for Guns and Ammo magazine? No. Have I bought him a bb gun? No. I'm not crazy.

Good luck with your family's decision on this.

[arivecchi]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I was wondering if I was on the minority on this, but it sounds like many of you take a similar approach. DH tells me that when he was little he had actual bb guns and play machetes. :47: I always wonder how he (and his brothers) survived their childhood. He actually shot his brother in the forehead with a bb gun. :eek: I certainly would never go that far, but I do think it makes more sense for us to have DS play with these items in an environment I can control.

[BabyMine]

And FWIW, I've had to confiscate princess wands because they were being used as weapons. :ROTFLMAO:

:hysterical: That would totally be me as a kid.

It doesn't bother me. M hasn't shown interest in swords yet. We have played around with nerf guns though. I had to teach him that the cats weren't moving targets.

[elektra]

And FWIW, I've had to confiscate princess wands because they were being used as weapons. :ROTFLMAO:

Yeah that!
And it's not just boys. DD wants to play swords too. She got a tinker toy set for Christmas and I don't know if it was because her older boy cousin was showing her how to play with them, but all she wants to make are swords!
I don't plan on buying guns or swords for her or DS, but I did let her play pretend swords even though I didn't really like it. I think I was more worried about her poking someone's eye out than the overall violence aspect, but the violence thing concerns me too.
My own parents never let me or my brother own a toy gun and I will probably try to stick to that too.
I'll have to reread the responses because I honestly don't know what rules I should have in regards to the sword or gun play.
I have just been saying that:
you can't get it too close to faces
Don't get near the animals much less touch or hit them with the swords
Don't point your pretend gun at someone (DD has not done any gun pretending yet)

And then after awhile I usually just shut it all down, saying I don't like it and it's time to stop.

[jse107]

I have debated over and over on the toy chainsaw that DS2 wants. I just see it ending badly if we got it for him.

Oh, we've got this. It's been fine. This, and the hedge trimmer, weed whacker, and leaf blower. If it's a huge powertool and made into a kid-size version, we have it.

[infocrazy]

Our boys play with swords and have light sabers (so does DH!). Although, before they got those, they used their hockey sticks as swords. They have the Playmobil castle (which I hate but only because it has about 7000 pieces! seriously, even the beards come off!). We don't have any toy guns, aside from obvious squirt guns outside, but DH hunts so eventually this will come into play and we will teach them the importance of responsible gun ownership etc.

I have never been a fan of nerf/dart guns but DD will be the first girl on our street, so there are 10 older boys (2+ yrs older than DS1) and the nerf guns are quite the craze right now. I'm hoping we can go more the laser tag route but I doubt it. Honestly, if he is going to play with them anyway, I'd rather he get it from us so that we can set the boundaries/rules for them.

[Tondi G]

I have 2 boys. They have nerf guns, pirate swords from Disneyland, star wars lightsabers etc. I don't have any issues with toy guns and swords. If we didn't own them, my boys would make them out of legos, sticks/branches, pool noodles. It is something that boys just do.

I see the kids who are not allowed to have toy guns and sword make a BEE LINE for our toy closet and gather up as many weapons as they can so they can make good use of their time in our home! LOL My kids have them and I do see them playing spy and creeping around corners with their guns drawn.... and then they move on to the next game and there are no weapons in sight! Makes me think about the kid my MIL always tells a story about. He was NEVER allowed any junk food growing up (had avocado and sprout sandwiches every day in his lunch box and was forever trying to trade food with other kids). He got to jr high school and bought a snickers bar and a coca cola every morning when he got to school. He was rebelling... and bought it cause he finally had control and he could. If you don't make things totally off limits they don't get obsessed with them cause they are a No No!

[vonfirmath]

Zrecommends talked about something similar to this that didn't require guns, swords, machetes, or even princess wands:
Tyranny in the playroom:
http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/tyranny-in-the-playroom/

[hellokitty]

Oh yeah, about the swords, they will make things swords, just like they make things guns. Long stacks of legos or knex are usually what they use, but they have used play kitchen utensils as swords too. DS2 has a habit of biting his sandwiches and other food into a shape of a gun. :rolleye0014: My kids are really into the good vs. bad/evil theme right now, which I believe is a normal part of their development. They know that it is pretend, b/c we've talked about this sort of thing with them. DH DOES own guns (I disagree with this), but they are all locked up. He wants to teach the kids gun safety when they are older and how to use a gun properly, but I think he is nuts at this pt, b/c I just don't really think it's a good idea to teach a teenage boy how to use a gun. Right now, the #1 thing they have been taught by DH regarding guns is that if they see one, NOT to touch it and to immediately find an adult to tell them where the gun is. So far we haven't had any drop off playdates, but if we did, I would most definitely be asking the hosting family if they have guns in the house and where they are (ie: if they are in a gun safe). If they aren't in a gun safe, then I wouldn't be letting my kids play there. I found out from my DH that a mom I was really close to kept a loaded gun in her nightstand. We went to her house all of the time (and their master bdrm was on the main floor, so easy access for the children). I was so mad when I found out. She had never mentioned it, BUT her husband mentioned it to my husband. I feel that we got very lucky that there was never an incident and I think it's important to tell kids about what to do if they ever come across a gun. Just b/c you don't have any in your household, it doesn't mean they won't come across one at someone else's house or heaven forbid, at school or some other public place.

[codex57]

I mean, DS will be exposed to guns/swords, etc. whether I like it or not and I'd rather control the introduction. We make it very clear that we just pretend to play with them. What are your thoughts on the issue?

Such a rationale point of view. That's my view too. They're gonna be exposed to it. Better on your terms than someone else's. Like a PP said, boys can make weapons out of everything. I, my nephews, and countless other boys have made weapons out of trash like toilet paper tubes, a sheet of paper, a stick, an oreo (grenade), etc. As long as you teach them right, it's no big deal.

I'm pro gun ownership. However, there is NOT gonna be a real gun in my house. BB gun at most. I'm all for people having the right to have it in their house. I mean, it's in the constitution and the criminals have em already. I just choose not to have it in my house so less chance of accidents. :p

[codex57]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I was wondering if I was on the minority on this, but it sounds like many of you take a similar approach. DH tells me that when he was little he had actual bb guns and play machetes. :47: I always wonder how he (and his brothers) survived their childhood. He actually shot his brother in the forehead with a bb gun. :eek: I certainly would never go that far, but I do think it makes more sense for us to have DS play with these items in an environment I can control.

Hey, better shot with a BB than a real gun. I've shot myself with a bb before. It ricocheted off a target (big plastic trash can) and hit me in the leg. I got real interested in gun safety after that. :D Translated well when I got into paintball later.

You can't bubble wrap your kids. Sorry, but I think you're stupid if you try and shelter your kids completely. The rest of the world certainly isn't perfect so sticking your head in the sand isn't gonna help. Luckily the people on this board tend not to be absentee parents so they've got a perfect chance to play with and teach their kids right from wrong. They're gonna make mistakes. Their kids. Just be there to help them learn from them.

[ThreeofUs]

As if I have a choice. DS1 has been making swords and guns out of paper since he was 3.

Seriously, we try to instill good principles and limits, and ensure the kids know about the bad and the good of weapons. But our kids will have training in gun handling and marksmanship, so they know how to handle themselves around guns.

[niccig]

Oh, we've got this. It's been fine. This, and the hedge trimmer, weed whacker, and leaf blower. If it's a huge powertool and made into a kid-size version, we have it.

So do we, and a toy jackhammer. DS is very into imaginative play. When we're out in the garden working, he'll weed etc with us, then gets out his chain saw and start "working" on the trees.

As for the gun/sword play. I don't allow realistic looking guns. I didn't want any at all, but then DS picks up a stick and pretends with that. First time though it was a toot gun - he pointed it at you and it made you toot. :ROTFLMAO:

So, we have a few things.

[carolinamama]

Yes. Once they are exposed to other boys who have been exposed to this kind of stuff (preschool), it's inevitable. My biggest rule is not pointing guns/swords at someone, and of course if they hit anyone with one, I take it away. We had a sword that came with a knight costume and DS2 was hitting dS1 with it, and it basically just put it in the basement so they can't play with it. My kids don't have toy guns, BUT they will make guns with their legos, etc. I can't do anything about that.

Exactly my thoughts and how things work at our house. The more I've read, the more I've realized that I can't take away my boys' drive to play like this. Doesn't mean I like it though.

[cric]

I don't see a way to avoid it. Nate (he's four now, I've been away for a while) will use the pencils he gets from school goody bags as swords or guns!

[kijip]

I do allow it, operating under the principal that the forbidden holds more power, allure and charm.

T has little to no interest in violent or weapon play.

[niccig]

I do allow it, operating under the principal that the forbidden holds more power, allure and charm.


I agree with this. DS also plays this type of weapon play with certain friends. On his own or with other friends, he doesn't do it. I also have the rules about how aggressive the play is, no hitting each other etc. For the most part, they just run around, chasing each other.

[Piglet]

Our very passive boys love playing with swords, guns, etc! Star Wars, knights, cops and robbers, pirates you name it. They love it all. Again, they are super-duper passive but they are still boys, LOL. They will make anything into a gun or sword if they want to... even their fingers. It doesn't bother me in the least. Why should I quash their creativity and their gender identity? If DD wanted to play house but I was a staunch feminist would I stop her? It gets a bit ridiculous to think that little boys playing with swords is a recipe for violence as an adult.

[arivecchi]

Why should I quash their creativity and their gender identity? If DD wanted to play house but I was a staunch feminist would I stop her? It gets a bit ridiculous to think that little boys playing with swords is a recipe for violence as an adult. I completely agree with you but did not want to say this out loud. :tongue5:

[mamicka]

Our very passive boys love playing with swords, guns, etc! Star Wars, knights, cops and robbers, pirates you name it. They love it all. Again, they are super-duper passive but they are still boys, LOL. They will make anything into a gun or sword if they want to... even their fingers. It doesn't bother me in the least. Why should I quash their creativity and their gender identity? If DD wanted to play house but I was a staunch feminist would I stop her? It gets a bit ridiculous to think that little boys playing with swords is a recipe for violence as an adult.

:yeahthat: I'm with you, Piglet.

[Jo..]

I don't. He picked up shooting and stuff from preschool, and I told him he's allowed to shoot rainbows and kisses out of his pretend gun (hand) only. He was okay with that. He now yells "Mommy, I just shot you a rainbow"! :love5:

[Corie]

Our very passive boys love playing with swords, guns, etc! Star Wars, knights, cops and robbers, pirates you name it. They love it all. Again, they are super-duper passive but they are still boys, LOL. They will make anything into a gun or sword if they want to... even their fingers. It doesn't bother me in the least. Why should I quash their creativity and their gender identity? If DD wanted to play house but I was a staunch feminist would I stop her? It gets a bit ridiculous to think that little boys playing with swords is a recipe for violence as an adult.


I agree with Marina.

[codex57]

I don't. He picked up shooting and stuff from preschool, and I told him he's allowed to shoot rainbows and kisses out of his pretend gun (hand) only. He was okay with that. He now yells "Mommy, I just shot you a rainbow"! :love5:

Such wonderful and realistic mommas on here. That's exactly what I'm talking about. You didn't do a blanket ban. You just allowed him to play with a gun on your terms. Shooting rainbows and kisses. Ingenius! I hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna use that idea.

[Melaine]

And FWIW, I've had to confiscate princess wands because they were being used as weapons. :ROTFLMAO:

:yeahthat: We've also had to remove the wooden knives from the M&D food sets after they were used in a unpredictably violent manner. The girls were actually running around with them stuck in their pants like swords!

I don't have a problem with toy weapons as long as they aren't hurting each other or getting out of hand. Or saying mean and violent things. I definitely think this can be an issue for girls as well as boys.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I have no problem with pretend play like this.

Beth

[AnnieW625]

Don't have a boy, but I don't have a problem with DD playing with action figures or swords. My DH, his friends, and my brother are all into that kind of thing and DD and DH already play light sabers with empty wrapping paper rolls. It doesn't bother me at all.

[smilequeen]

If they don't have swords, they will make things into swords. So we have a couple of foam swords. Their favorite toys right now are the Schleich knights, so knights are huge around here. I don't like guns, but they have a pair that MIL got them (that light up and make totally obnoxious noises). They will turn legos into guns though. No escape.

[arivecchi]

Their favorite toys right now are the Schleich knights, so knights are huge around here. This is my DS! He is all about his Schleich castle, knights and dragons. He also wears his knight set (from Target) 5-6 times a day. :dizzy: I feel relieved to hear all the feedback here. Glad I am not the only one with a DS who loves this kind of pretend play.

[Indianamom2]

Although my Ds #2 is nowhere near that stage yet, I won't ban toy "weapons" as long as they are used for play and not hurting someone.

I'm pro-gun ownership, although we don't have one. The world will never be weapon-less and I'd rather teach responsible use of guns than ban them as something inherently bad. I personally think the more off-limits something is, the more intriguing it is to the right child, kwim?

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

My DD plays with light sabers and makes the dhzzzzz, sound like on Star Wars. No problem with it.

[JTsMom]

Somehow, this hasn't been much of an issue for us yet. DS hasn't seen Star Wars, so no interest there. Guns just aren't really on his radar. Swords have come up a few times, especially related to pirates- he's just not particularly into them. He does have the green Army men from Toy Story, and some of them do have guns and other weapons, I just don't think he really knows what they are. He just like sending them on "missions"- like taking "Andy's" toys to the playroom. LOL

I agree that you can't totally prevent this type of play, no matter what your views are on it. My mom told me that when my brothers were little, she started off saying "no guns", and then would find them biting their PB&J's into gun shapes.

I wouldn't ban these types of toys- I am somewhat more concerned with violent movies, video games, etc., especially at DS's age, so we do avoid that type of thing. I do think that gun/weapon type play can be taken too far by some kids, but so can anything. As long as I don't start seeing red flags, this isn't a big issue for me. I do like the idea of making this sort of play positive- stressing protection, heroes, that sort of thing. Playful Parenting has a really good section on this, if anyone is interested.

[1964pandora]

No, I don't have a problem with it, but I'm hypocritical about it. Intellectually, I have no problem with it, but for some reason I just hate seeing my boys running around with guns. They have lots of swords and the like, and I am working up to allowing them to have guns. Here's my reasoning:

The PBS special, "Raising Cain" (or the book by the same name) explain what boys are doing when they are using toy weapons. It's actually more damaging to make them feel that they are doing something wrong when they engage in this behavior. It's completely normal. Normal boys' inner lives are often full of violence. A totally normal boy will often write a story that's full of violence, for example. Unfortunately, authority figures (usually women) often tell the boy that it would be so much nicer if the characters in the story all got along and didn't fight, etc. and writing a story suddenly isn't so much fun for the boy anymore.

[almostamom]

I'll be the voice of dissent on this one. No guns in our house. DS is 5, attends preschool at a public school, and it has never come up. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that he's an only child. I'm guessing that playing swords by yourself just isn't that appealing ;) He has played dress up in with a knight's costume at a friend's house, but there was no sword in sight. He'd much rather play with construction trucks, ride bikes, play baseball, etc. He does have a bat, and if/when it is ever used as a weapon it will be taken away. It hasn't happened yet. For dramatic play, he prefers playing garbage man, restaurant, construction crew, etc. He has not used any of his tools as weapons, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I'm not judging anyone who believes differently. This is what's best for our family.

Linda

[SpaceGal]

We don't let our boys have any guns. They have on occasion made them with legos. We don't want them playing with guns. A close friend of ours, her son is obsessed with guns and turns ANYTHING into a weapon...and chases friends around making people good guys and bad guys and shooting kill kill kill....I'm not a fan of this at all. Like it's one thing to pay shoot...but to say kill kill kill just bothers me.

We did once buy these stupid form play swords for the boys...they can have them as long as they don't hit in the face or head...if they do they get taken away. I know I can't sheild them from the whole weapon thing...but I guess I'd like them to play as children do...with innocence and not with violence that many kids are exposed to earlier and earlier on these days.

[awoodm]

I was once very anti-play guns, anti-play violence(and of course real guns and violence)... and then I had DS1. He has accumulated 3 light sabers, 2 swords, a few nerf guns, a Transformer dart blaster thing, and a Bumblebee blaster. I really never thought I would ever allow it, but I just try to use it as learning experiences. For example, talking about gun safety and how we don't want to hurt others etc... And I have to admit, I even chuckled when DS took his Nerf gun(with no darts of course) and was "hunting" DS2 who evidently reminded him of a deer. He said "I'm hunting deer like Pappy!" As DS2 crawled around DS1 would pretend to shoot him on the bottom. Sigh, boys will be boys!

Also, has anyone noticed how violent playmobil is?? Haha, we have enough Playmobil guns and swords to arm a decent size military group. Guns come with everything!

[cindys]

Yup...

Cindy
Mama to 3 boys...18, 3 & 16mos:heartbeat::heartbeat::heartbeat:

[kristac]

I just read the book "Who's calling the shots" it's a little outdated but the basic principle is that war play is healthy when it is child directed, but can be unhealthy when it is directed by outside sources (tv, movies, video games, etc). We allow war play with some rules- no shooting at people/pets, during dinner etc- only "bad guys" and monsters... We don't own any guns/ swords yet because I prefer more open ended toys- if the boys want to make lego guns or cardboard swords that's ok with me but I don't feel the need to have toys dedicated to that purpose. We do have some "shooters" that came as parts of other toys (mainly Matchbox Megarigs) which I allow- again no shooting at people, etc. I don't worry about the 5 year old so much as I think it's a normal part of development but I do worry about the younger siblings as they are getting exposed to it alot earlier as a result of big brother. I cringe when the 2.5 year old makes shooting sounds. Not sure really what to do about that.

[arivecchi]

I was once very anti-play guns, anti-play violence(and of course real guns and violence)... and then I had DS1.
:hysterical:I probably thought this way too pre-kids. Nothing like having kids to get a big dose of reality. :rolleyes:

By the way, my DS has a blast with his knight outfit and sword all by himself. He likes to fight imaginary bad guys or DH if he is around. ;)

[MelissaTC]

We have a small collection of nerf guns, light sabers, pirate swords, blasters, etc... He rarely plays with them except the light saber. He loves that thing and pretends he is a Jedi knight. No issues here. I am not a fan of guns or weapons in general but the kid was making swords out of sticks on the playground at 2. We went with the flow and he is a pretty passive kid so no worries here.

[californiagirl]

I don't see why it's a question about boys. DD is way more weapon-crazy than some boys we know.

We don't point guns at people, and we don't hit people with swords. But hey, gang up on them monsters all you want. DD owns a Lego sword (she says you can tell it's a princess one by the red jewel -- that's not what Lego thinks, but hey).

[mom_hanna]

I don't see why it's a question about boys. DD is way more weapon-crazy than some boys we know.

Yeah, same here. dd loves having imaginary sword fights, and she and ds run around with our neighbor's two boys shooting imaginary guns. We don't/won't buy them guns, swords, etc. but if they make them out of random things around the house, or use their imagination, I am fine with it. I took riflery and archery when I was 10-12 years old at summer camp, and would support them later if they wanted to take these things up for sport.

[C99]

Raising Cain: the secret life of boys.

[MontrealMum]

Well, not at this point no. Not that I'd forbid it, it's just more that it hasn't occurred to anyone to buy DS an *actual* sword yet. Also, we're presently being battered by wooden trucks, metal cars and fire engines, and oh, the odd broom or ski pole. We'll get around to swords eventually I suppose ;) DS is very into creative, and active, play.

They do have a knights thing at the daycare - probably Playskool, it's a castle with knightly horses. He does like it, but more for the horse-aspect. He's really into horses right now. A lot of this stuff, if it's at the daycare, I don't buy it again for home. Our place is small, so I figure, essentially, why have two?

[gatorsmom]

Do you let your DS play with swords, Star Wars figurines, soldier figurines, etc.? In a perfect world, there would be no weapons and I am personally anti-gun ownership, but I do let DS1 play knights and he does have soldier figurines. DS1 has a friend who is not allowed to play with any such toys and I was just wondering what would that accomplish. I mean, DS will be exposed to guns/swords, etc. whether I like it or not and I'd rather control the introduction. We make it very clear that we just pretend to play with them. What are your thoughts on the issue?

My dad had nearly no toys growing up but he somehow managed to play cowboys and Indians with his brother whenever he could. For my older cousins it was cops and robbers. Everyone I knew at school played Star Wars at recess time. I guess I feel that even if I take away anything that could be used as a weapon, they'd still find something to use as pretend weapon. I don't care if my kids and their friends are role playing or pretending with these sorts of toys. I do step in though if I think they are being too wild and careless or one of the kids is acting out of anger. Then i KNOW someone will get hurt.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

I don't see why it's a question about boys. DD is way more weapon-crazy than some boys we know.

We don't point guns at people, and we don't hit people with swords. But hey, gang up on them monsters all you want. DD owns a Lego sword (she says you can tell it's a princess one by the red jewel -- that's not what Lego thinks, but hey).

LOL. My DD holds up a stick and says "By the power of pre-school", her own version of She-Ra, saying "By the power of Greyskull"

[jgenie]

As far as gun play - I will be teaching DS the 4 gun rules as well...he follows them, then he gets to play. He breaks one, the toy gun goes away.

What are the 4 gun rules? TIA

[connor_mommy]

As a mother of two boys, 6 and 3.5, I'm glad to know it's not just boys, especially just my two. They will turn everything and anything into a gun or blaster. They're really into Star Wars right now. They have built guns and blasters from Legos. They have turned neck roll pillows, stuffed penguins and silly straws among other things into them. I do not buy them guns or swords. I don't mind having the small tiny ones that come with the Lego and Star Wars figure sets. We have a lot of friends who buys them foam swords and lightsabers among other things. I tired to teach them gun safety and from reading these past messages, I just need to learn to relax a bit about their playtime with these objects.

[Melaine]

LOL. My DD holds up a stick and says "By the power of pre-school", her own version of She-Ra, saying "By the power of Greyskull"

:rotflmao:That is TOO funny!

[tnrnchick74]

What are the 4 gun rules? TIA

1. All firearms are always loaded. ***
2. Always keep a firearm pointed in a safe direction.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
4. Always be sure of your target and know what is behind it along the bullet's trajectory.
http://www.thehighroad.us/library/rules.html

So basically with toy guns, I make him treat them as if they were a "real" gun. If you are used to playing guns and pointing it at a human being, then if you come across a real gun what is your "play" going to be? To point it at a human being! We do what we practice.

Also, the NRA has a GREAT kids program. It's NOT pro-gun, but more about what to do if you find a gun...

http://www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/

If you see a gun:
STOP!
Don't Touch.
Leave the Area.
Tell an Adult.

[hillview]

Yes we let DS1 play with these sort of things.
/hillary

[jgenie]

1. All firearms are always loaded. ***
2. Always keep a firearm pointed in a safe direction.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
4. Always be sure of your target and know what is behind it along the bullet's trajectory.
http://www.thehighroad.us/library/rules.html

So basically with toy guns, I make him treat them as if they were a "real" gun. If you are used to playing guns and pointing it at a human being, then if you come across a real gun what is your "play" going to be? To point it at a human being! We do what we practice.

Also, the NRA has a GREAT kids program. It's NOT pro-gun, but more about what to do if you find a gun...

http://www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/

If you see a gun:
STOP!
Don't Touch.
Leave the Area.
Tell an Adult.

Thanks for sharing this info! The bolded is so simple but I would never have thought of it.